Palacio del Inka, Hotel — Hotel in Distrito de Cusco

I was truly impressed by this EXCEPTIONAL hotel, and want to wholeheartedly recommend it! Every member of the staff was well trained and dedicated to providing guests with a perfect stay. From the front door porters who greeted me, to the front desk who offered me a Muna (coca leaf) tea on the sofa while they checked me in, to the truly outstanding concierge services, the service was impeccable! The hotel itself is a beautiful piece of history dating to the Spanish conquest of Cusco in the 16th century, that is as much a museum as it is a hotel.

I want to particularly thank one concierge, Victor, who absolutely made our trip to Cusco an incredible one. When we realized that we did not have the prequisite train and admission tickets for Machu Picchu, he personally assisted and even went with us to the Rail Peru and state tourism offices to insure we got the right tickets we needed. I have never been so well taken care of or made to feel so valued as I was by the staff here. Victor also assisted us with changing our reservation for 1 night to stay at a hotel closer to Machu Picchu when we we became aware of the time required to travel there from Cusco (2 hour drive, plus 2 hour train). He arranged for all of our transfers, and for our larger bags to be stored at the hotel while we went off to our adventure.

This was a special trip for me as I proposed to my partner and am now engaged, and I will always be very thankful to the staff , and to Victor in particular, for making it a wonderful and memorable stay!

The room was beautiful - perfectly clean and luxuriously comfortable. If only every hotel were like this !

The pool is featured prominently in the photos of the property online, but guests should know that it is a small pool and spa area that is reserved for private use and for a fee of about $40 per person. It's worth it.

I would also want to remark that the breakfast buffet is AMAZING... worthy of photos... and includes almost anything you could want for every diet , with exceptionally trained servers Dany and Abraham who took care of us for 3 days. Its a bargain for $15US, or a free Platinum option I recommend.

My only criticism of the hotel would be that the concierge desk should reach out to the guest in advance with tips on tickets and services to Machu Picchu to avoid the last minute "uh-ohs" that I experienced as a busy traveler thinking I could do it all at the last minute. I also misunderstood an email they sent me the day prior to check in that asked if I wanted either a taxi or a van, for an additional charge. I selected taxi, thinking that this meant I would take a taxi on my own, and that I did not need the hotel to set up a van. They actually meant to ask me whether I wanted a "private taxi" which they in turn set up for me and did not realize. They should use the term private car or private taxi rather than just taxi when they are asking if you want them to book a...

This is a really lovely property in a great location but unfortunately they do not have air conditioning! I never imagined that I would have needed to check on this since I figured it was a given at this level of hotel within the SPG group.

Although my husband and I are both gold elites at SPG, we don't get a chance to get away and have a restful break anymore without children very often and our heavy days of work travel are behind us. We were really looking forward to this stay in Cusco at Palacio Inka during our trip as a highlight of our vacation. First of all, we didn't receive a room upgrade as SPG gold elites which was disappointing but ok if not available. We received the usual amenities for a gold elite guest. As soon as we entered the room at about 2pm we noticed it was very hot and had a certain smell of old places where air does not circulate. Although it is quite cool in Cusco in April this was not the case for the room. Our concierge, Alan, explained that the hotel only had heat NOT A/C. We were appalled at this considering the heat level in our room. What is bizarre is that the rest of the hotel was quite cool especially during the mornings and evenings because Cusco has average temps of Hi 65F//Lo 40 during April.

Since SPG and Marriott are now partners we went to check out the JW Marriott property today (which is very similar in quality and style) and they confirmed that all rooms are equipped with A/C and heat. Although both properties are colonial convent/monastery style it is clear that one was able to adapt the A/C feature and the other was not.

After complaining about this the first night we received a fan, which we did use on night 2 but was quite loud. On night 3 we were offered to be moved to a suite at about 830pm once we were already in our pj's so we declined due to the discomfort of the change at that point. My husband and I are disappointed that our stay was not awesome due to this point - it is really uncomfortable to sleep in an extremely hot room in a luxury hotel. I wouldn't stay here again just due to this particular point and in all fairness they should be more upfront about it since you would generally expect temperature control in a hotel of Luxury Collection level. I'd go for the JW MARRIOTT next time.

The buffet breakfast at this hotel is expensive and not all that fabulous. Cooked to order eggs are available upon request but they should place signage about this availlability or make you aware through your server.

on the other hand I must say the staff at the bar are great, especially Abraham and Ingrid, very sweet and great service. They made it a pleasure to return to the bar multiple times.

In general this hotel is really nice and the staff try their best to be attentive and accommodating with the exception of the issue with our room. I wouldn't stay here again because for this level of hotel I should be able to have an amazing and restful experience in a room with the temperature...

Palacio del Inka provided an above and beyond level of service during my 5 night/6 day stay - this is a very well-run hotel.

Booking: I booked directly through the Marriott website which offered a promotional rate for members. As a Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite member (thanks Amex!), I was provided with a nice room upgrade, daily breakfast, late check-out, plus other perks.

Hotel-arranged transport: I called the hotel a few days before my arrival to arrange a transfer from the airport and was promptly emailed a confirmation. On the day of my arrival, my 40 min flight to Cusco turned into 5 hours (bizarre LATAM experience), resulting in a lot of confusion. Still, on the brief 15-minute ride to the hotel, I observed that the hotel both texted and called my driver to ensure that I did not have to wait too long and that I was satisfied with the pick-up. While these communications were in Spanish (which the driver did not think I understood 😉), this showed a very high level of care. For these reasons, I booked two other transfers through the hotel; personally, I like the comfort of knowing that the hotel will know where I am and who is handling my transportation.

Intro/check-in: Miguel the concierge and other members of the team personally greeted me upon my arrival. Check-in was a breeze, and I was provided with useful information, a nice cup of tea, and was escorted to my room where a nice dish of goodies, a welcome note, and my little luggage was magically waiting. Given the inordinate delay, I was exhausted when I arrived. But the way the hotel received me really made all the difference.

Information: I interacted with the concierge desk multiple times during my stay, who continued to go above and beyond. For example, I had questions about an excursion that I booked on TripAdvisor and Miguel proactively called the tour operator to obtain additional clarity/details, ultimately freeing me from any worry that I booked the wrong tour.

Hotel tour: 5pm every day showcasing the beautiful art & history of the hotel, and ends with an Inca ceremony (do not miss!). Emerson led my tour with an enthusiasm that was enjoyed by all. The hotel tour is followed by a pisco sour class at 6pm (I did not attend).

Tea station: I especially enjoyed the tea station in the lobby, which offers Coca tea (helps with altitude) and Muna tea (for digestion/later hours). Next to it is a water station providing purified water.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at Palacio del Inka so much that I changed my next hotel reservation to the JW Marriott in Lima (originally had a reservation at a non-Marriott property). While that stay was fine, I quickly realized how the Palacio del Inka likely spoiled me!!

Muchas gracias to Miguel & the entire team. You really know how to make a guest...